Improvement in convertible



NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE S. RUST, OF CHESTER, ILLINOIS.

`||viPRoveiv|Er\iT IN CONVERTIBUEAPPLE-MILLS, ste.`

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,171, dated August12, 1862.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. RUsT, of Chester, in the county ofRandolph and State of Illinois, have invented a new and usefulImprovementin Convertible Apple-Mills, Corn- Shellers, andStraw-Cutters; and-I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure l, Sheet 1,is a top View of my invention as employed in anapple-mill. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3, Sheet 2,is a plan of my invention as employed for shelling corn. Fig. 4 isavertical section of the same, and Figs.v 5 and 6 details of the mill.Fig. 7, Sheet 8, is a plan of my invention as employed in astraw-cutter, and Fig. 8 a vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicatecorresponding parts.

As the basis of my convertible machine, I construct a strong frame, A,with hopper-side pieces, B B, an inverted-V-guard, C, a platform, D, acrank-shaft, E, a pitman, F, two cog-wheels, GG', and a straight shaft,H.

On -the straight shaft near each end heads o a are fastened, so'as tosupport concavetoothed staves b b, or spiral knives c c, ascircumstances may require.

In rear of the straight shaft on a vertical spring-bar, d, Aan obliquestop, I, and directing-pieceJ are arranged,so as to stand in closeproximity to the teeth of the staves b b when they are used, and inrelief from the knives c c when they are used. The stop I is made with aconvexity at its center and a depression of bevel configuration onopposite sides of said central portion, so as to afford a free passageof an ear of corn between it and the staves at the commencement of theoperation and then insure a sufficient friction upon the corn near thecenter of the staves and thereafter ease the escape of the cob out ofthe machine.

The directing-piece J is constructed with a spiral twist, so that itsupper side forms aspiral concave, the highest portion of w-hich is nearthe lower terminus of the piece J and at thevfront of the same, and thusacts as a guard to insure the discharge of the cob at the end of thepiece J, the stop I preventing the passage of the cob over the back edgeof the same. l

Forward of the crankshaft E,and above thel same, an inclinedcross-piece, K, is fixed permanently between the hopper-sides B B, andupon this cross-piece a Vibrating beam, L, is arranged and held by meansof a pivotal connection, e, as shown. This cross-piece hashinge-openingsff cut through it, as shown,

and on its end a journalor wrist, g, is formed,

so that the connecting-rod or pitman F may attach to it accordingly ascircumstances may require.

As a feeder for apples, two angular pieces, M M, are pivoted or hingedto the cross-piece L, and as a support to these pieces a removableinclined extension-piece, 7L, to the piece K is fitted between thehopper-sides, as shown. The construction of the angular feeders isrounding or beveling at their front and rear sides, so that the applesor other substances may readily pass over them,and also that the applesmay be forced closely up to the cylinder or staves b b.

As a substitute for the feeders M M.,a roller,

' N, with flutes in its circumference and ratchetwheels or serrationszon its ends, is provided when the machine is used for cutting straw.This roller is set in the place occupied by the extension-piece h, andit is so arranged relatively to the platform'D as to feed straw totheknives c c from said platform. The motion of the roller is produced bythe vibrating beam L and two pivoted hook-pieces, O- O,which areconnected to the beam at f f,'as shown in Sheet 3 of the drawings.

In operating my machine as an applegrinder the pitman F is attached tothe wrist of the rocking beam L and the crank turned in the direction ofthe arrow 1, and the grinding-cylinder is caused to revolve against theedge of the extension-piece h, and the apples,

teeth of the staves b b, are ground into pomace.

To shell corn with the same machine, disconnect the pitman F, as shownin Sheet 2 of drawings, and turnV the crank in a reverse direction, oras indicated bythe arrow 2. This causes the cylinder to revolve againstthe stop I and director J, and the corn fed in between -by the combinedaction of said edge and the tuted therefor.

use.

the guard G and the stop I is carried round and shelled, the grainsfalling down between the parts, While the cob shoots out along thespiral concave of the director J.

To out straw,the stavesb b are removed and knives c c substituted. So,also, are the feeders M M removed with the extension-piece h, and theroller N, with its connections, substi- A cutting-plate, j, is alsointroduced between the crankshaft and the knife-shaft,all as shown inFigs. 7 and 8,Sheet 3. The pitman is now connected to the wrist of thebeam L and straw placed upon the platform D, and as the machine isworked the roller N revolves and feeds the straw to the machine.

From the foregoing it is evident that my machine can be readilyconverted into either an apple mill, corn sheller, or straw cutter, andas readily brought back to its original It also is evident that therocking beam L and the divided feeder obviates the difficulty ofchoking, as but one half of the cylinder is supplied at a time, andWhile this is so no time is lost, because while one half of the feederis supplying, the other half is about ready to come forward with anotherquantity. It also is evident that the one rocking beam answers for bothapple grinding and strawcutting, and that it offers no friction orresistance while shelling corn, as it is disconnectible from the pitmanof the crank-shaft.

- It is also evident that the corn-sheller guard, stop, and director areso arranged that they do not interfere with the operation of the machinewhile grinding apples or cutting straw.

My machine will meet the demands of many small farmers who are not ableto buy three separate machines, as itcan be sold at a small price andwill perform all the-ofces required of it just as well as three separatemachines adapted especially for performing the respective duties ofgrinding, shelling, and cutting.

I am aware that mills have been organized so that they may be usedeither for vgrinding apples, shelling corn, and cutting straw, &c., suchan organization being shown in the patents granted to F.- B. Hunt,January 10, 1860, and June 8, 1858. Therefore I do not claim, broadly, amill which is capable of serving several different functions; but

What Ido claim as new and as an improvement over plans heretoforedevised, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the rocking beam L, crank-shaft E, disconnectiblepitman F, shaft H, and cylinder-heads a a, for the purpose and in themanner described.

2. The combination of the rocking beam L, crank-shaft E, anddisconnectible pitman F, constructed and arranged in the manner and forthe purpose set forth.

Witness my hand and seal, iu the matter of my application for a patentfor a 'combined vegetable and fruit grinder, corn-Sheller, andlstraw-cutter, this 10th day of May, A. D. 1862.

GUsTAvUs DIETERIci-I, EDWIN S. JACOB.

